Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 10:36:24 -0400
From: "Flynn Mclean"
Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 07/11/96
AIDS Daily Summary
July 11, 1996
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National
AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a
public service only. Providing this information does not
constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC National AIDS
Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this
text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this
information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
******************************************************
"Powerful Response Reported to a Combined AIDS Therapy"
"AIDS 'Cocktail' May Turn Glaxo Drugs to Gold"
"AIDS's Economic Impact Contradictory, Complex"
"Costly New AIDS Drug Therapy Finds Support in Congress, Due to
Efforts of Unlikely Alliance"
"Genetic AIDS Vaccine Proves Safe, Helps Antibodies in Early
Testing"
"How Soon to Treat HIV Infection?"
"Loans for AIDS Vaccines Urged"
"Patients Challenge Drug 'Cocktails'"
"Protease Inhibitors: A Tale of Two Companies"
"Japan Gives Cel-Sci Patent for Cancer Drug"
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"Powerful Response Reported to a Combined AIDS Therapy"
New York Times (07/11/96) P. A16; Altman, Lawrence K.
Preliminary results of a small clinical trial reported
Wednesday have shown that when used in combination, two protease
inhibitors can reduce the amount of HIV to virtually undetectable
levels. Martin Markowitz and colleagues at the Aaron Diamond AIDS
Research Center said that Abbott Laboratories' ritonavir and
Hoffmann-La Roche's saquinavir, when used together, apparently
stopped the virus from replicating but did not eliminate it from
the body. Other drug combinations have shown similar results, but
this is the first trial of two protease inhibitors. Some experts
had predicted that combining protease inhibitors would cause
serious liver damage, but this did not happen in the first six
weeks of therapy.
"AIDS 'Cocktail' May Turn Glaxo Drugs to Gold"
Wall Street Journal (07/11/96) P. B1; Tanouye, Elyse
Glaxo Holdings' 1995 acquisition of Wellcome is proving to
be more lucrative than first thought, in part because of
Wellcome's Retrovir brand of AZT, an AIDS drug that is being
increasingly used in combination with some of the newer drugs and
another Glaxo Wellcome drug, 3TC (lamivudine). These treatments,
along with two other potential therapies that Wellcome also
brought to the merger, could bring the combined company's AIDS
drug sales from $300 million last year for AZT alone to $2
billion for four drugs within four years, according to UBS
Securities analyst Marc J. Ostro. Moreover, Glaxo predicts that
3TC, or Epivir as it is also known, will rival Retrovir in sales,
and the company is considering combining the two drugs into one
tablet. Glaxo will report on the two experimental drugs--one
code-named 1592, which is three times as potent as its cousin AZT
and which appears to be as effective as protease inhibitors in
reducing viral load, and a protease inhibitor licensed from
Vertex Pharmaceuticals--at the 11th International Conference on
AIDS in Vancouver today, possibly bundling the drugs with 3TC and
AZT in the future.
"AIDS's Economic Impact Contradictory, Complex"
Washington Post (07/11/96) P. A3; Brown, David
The impact of AIDS on national economies is complicated and
contradictory, and projections of its effects on the economies of
African countries have proven false, an expert told delegates to
the 11th International Conference on AIDS Wednesday. Josef
Decosas, a doctor and health economist, said that recent studies
in Africa have not shown the expected economic damage. The HIV
rate in Africa did not reach levels predicted 10 years ago, and
some projections did not account for the surplus labor force in
Africa, which was able to fill the jobs vacated by workers who
died of AIDS. Decosas said that a positive economic impact of
the epidemic would not be surprising, citing the economic boom
that followed Europe's 14th Century plague. He also suggested
that economists focus on the epidemic's impact on individual
villages and households, rather than countries.
"Costly New AIDS Drug Therapy Finds Support in Congress, Due to
Efforts of Unlikely Alliance"
Wall Street Journal (07/11/96) P. A16; Georges, Christopher
Due in part to intense lobbying by left- and right-leaning
AIDS activists and pharmaceutical companies, Congress is expected
to increase federal funding by $23 million to help pay for AIDS
drugs for the uninsured. Congress and the White House have
already agreed to boost spending on AIDS drugs by $52 million in
this year's budget for the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. AIDS
activists and gay-rights groups, including the
Democrat-supporting Human Rights Campaign Fund and the Log Cabin
Republicans, have gained increased influence in Congress through
increased political contributions. Pharmaceutical companies have
also been important contributors and lobbyists for increased
government funding for AIDS drugs. They are linked to Republican
lawmakers and have formed alliances with AIDS activists. Only a
fraction of the huge cost of new AIDS drugs may be covered by
current funding levels, however, and the states are likely to
feel the financial burden even with federal programs.
"Genetic AIDS Vaccine Proves Safe, Helps Antibodies in Early
Testing"
Philadelphia Inquirer (07/11/96) P. A1; Collins, Huntly
The first AIDS vaccine that includes HIV DNA has been found
safe and effective in humans, University of Pennsylvania
researchers will report today. The vaccine was able to protect
two chimpanzees from the virus and has also stimulated antibodies
to HIV in infected study participants. Researchers led by David
Weiner are preparing to launch a vaccine trial in up to 25
uninfected volunteers. Other vaccines made from HIV proteins have
been tested in people, but this will be the first to include HIV
DNA.
"How Soon to Treat HIV Infection?"
USA Today (07/11/96) P. 1D; Painter, Kim
Extremely early treatment for HIV, possibly within hours of
exposure, was discussed Wednesday at the 11th International
Conference on AIDS. Researchers from Canada, the United States,
and Switzerland reported that people who took anti-HIV drugs during
or within months of infection showed dramatic drops in the level of
virus in their bodies. Martin Markowitz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS
Research Center will report today that nine men who received a
triple-combination therapy shortly after infection remain free of
detectable virus after four to 10 months. Doctors say they may
stop treating such patients if no virus is found after a year.
Health workers already receive anti-HIV drugs if they know they
have been exposed to the virus, and this may become practice for
individuals exposed through unprotected sex.
"Loans for AIDS Vaccines Urged"
Financial Times (07/11/96) P. 4; Green, Daniel
Developing countries should seek loans from the World Bank
to pay for AIDS vaccines, Seth Berkley, chairman of the
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative said. Borrowing to pay for
vaccines would be more cost-effective than paying for treating
AIDS patients, he noted. Developing countries could improve the
market for an HIV vaccine by offering drug companies money,
Berkley proposed.
"Patients Challenge Drug 'Cocktails'"
Toronto Globe and Mail (07/10/96) P. A8; Immen, Wallace
Wednesday, at the 11th International Conference on AIDS,
patients voiced their concerns that the new HIV therapies being
heralded by drug companies have problematic side effects, are
expensive, and may offer only a temporary victory over the virus.
They also complained that the drugs must be taken according to a
strict regimen and that people taking the drugs must remain on a
strict diet. Protease inhibitors may cause nausea, weakness,
pain, or kidney stones. Other HIV drugs can cause nervous
disorders, and toxic effects on organs or blood cells, and if not
taken exactly when prescribed, the drugs may not be effective and
can become vulnerable to resistance.
"Protease Inhibitors: A Tale of Two Companies"
Science (06/28/96) Vol. 272, No. 5270, P. 1882; Cohen, Jon
The early success of protease inhibitors in treating HIV
infection is an indication that the money invested in AIDS
research is finally paying off. Both Merck & Co.'s indinavir and
Abbott Laboratories' ritonavir received FDA approval in record
time and both drugs show enormous promise in treating HIV. The
two drug makers went about developing their drugs in a very
different fashion, however. While both were influenced by
earlier work on inhibitors of renin--another protease that
regulates blood pressure--Merck went all out as early as January
1987 on the development of an AIDS drug, while Abbott did not get
into the AIDS drug development business until about five months
later. Abbott officially launched its protease program in 1988
after winning a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases. The company's protease team included three
chemists, while it was rumored that Merck had several dozen.
Both companies faced challenges, including the death of a Merck
team leader and an Abbott drug that demonstrated poor oral
bioavailability. Both also had to cooperate with AIDS activists:
Merck permitted AIDS activists to sit in on a community advisory
board, while Abbott began trials of ritonavir in France to avoid
confrontations with activists. Both firms were ultimately
successful in producing promising therapies. While indinavir and
ritonavir are expensive and raise concerns about the development
of drug-resistant HIV, the drugs have clearly ushered in a new
era in AIDS research.
"Japan Gives Cel-Sci Patent for Cancer Drug"
Washington Business Journal (06/21/96-06/27/96) Vol. 15, No. 6,
P. 11; Starzynski, Bob
Cel-Sci Corp. has been awarded a Japanese patent covering
the basic technology required for the production of Multikine, an
immunotherapy cancer drug. Officials of the company, who consider
Japan to be one of the largest pharmaceutical markets worldwide,
say the country's patent office is also one of the most thorough
in reviewing biotech patents. Multikine performed well in a
recent prostate cancer study in Philadelphia, while Cel-Sci's
HGP-30 AIDS vaccine, another promising product, demonstrated
efficacy in protecting against HIV infection. "No other vaccines
have shown any success until now," notes Geert Kersten, CEO of
Cel-Sci.